Constellation/Orion: Back to the Moon [Slide Show]
America prepares for the next lunar missions
![Constellation/Orion: Back to the Moon [Slide Show]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/CDCDDCD8-0697-4F1B-9FB0C670EC6535F5.jpg?w=590&h=393)
Constellation/Orion: Back to the Moon [Slide Show]
- Ares 5 Heavy Lifter Ares 5 wields the power of five mighty rocket engines. A central fuel tank delivers liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants to the vehicle’s five RS-68 engines, each a modified version of the ones currently used in the Delta 4 military and commercial launcher. Two "strap-on" solid-fuel rocket boosters adapted from the space shuttle's system, which flank Ares 5's main cylinder, add the extra thrust that the launch vehicle will need to loft the lunar lander and the Earth-departure stage—a propulsion module designed to send Orion to the moon. NASA Kennedy Space Center
- Wind Tunnel Tests A scale model of the Orion Crew Launch Vehicle undergoes wind tunnel testing at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. A schlieren image, or shadow pattern, reveals the supersonic airflow around the model, which is set at a six-degree angle of attack into the onrushing air. NASA/Ames
- Ares 1 from the Top The Ares 1 launch vehicle stands ready for liftoff. Sitting atop the launcher is the Orion crew capsule and service module, the latter of which contains the spacecraft's on-orbit propulsion engine and much of its life-support system. In the event of a launch failure, the launch-abort system—a powerful escape-rocket located above the capsule—will deliver the astronauts to safety. Unlike its moon-going predecessor Apollo, Orion will be able to automatically rendezvous with other craft and linger unmanned in lunar orbit for up to six months. NASA Kennedy Space Center
- Ares Inside and Out Slimmer than its big brother Ares 5, Ares 1 towers 327.2 feet—about 27 stories—above the launch pad. The launch vehicle, which will carry the Orion crew exploration vehicle to low Earth orbit, consists of a solid-fuel rocket booster and a liquid-fuel J-2X engine–powered second stage. ATK Launch Systems Group
- Ares 1 up Close NASA's two-stage Ares 1 crew launch vehicle (sometimes called the "Stick") comprises a modified space shuttle booster (constructed by Alliant Techsystems) topped by a second stage that is powered by a single J-2X motor, a descendant of NASA's Apollo-era Saturn 5 J-2 upper-stage engine. NASA Kennedy Space Center
- Poised and Ready The Ares 1 crew launcher features two stages—a solid-fuel rocket stage adapted from the space shuttle—and a second stage powered by a liquid-fuel engine. In the first phase of flight, Ares 1's solid-fuel booster will drive the vehicle to a maximum speed of around Mach 6. When the vehicle reaches about 61,000 feet, the booster will be jettisoned and the second-stage J-2X rocket motor will take over, propelling Orion through the upper reaches of the atmosphere. Once there, the second stage, along with the vessel's launch abort system and protective fairing, will be shed and the engine in Orion's service module will power it and the crew exploration vehicle to low Earth orbit. NASA Kennedy Space Center
- Static Ground Test-Firing (view 2) ATK Thiokol engineers tested a five-segment solid rocket motor from the space shuttle program in late 2003 to establish its operational limits. The success of this test-firing provided an extra level of confidence in the solid-fuel booster technology, which is now expected to be used on the Constellation program's Ares 1 and 5 launch vehicles. ATK Launch Systems Group
- Static Ground Test-Firing (view 1) Engineers for ATK Thiokol in Promontory, Utah, test fired a five-segment solid-fuel rocket motor from the space shuttle program in October 2003 to determine its operational limits. The success of this trial, which ran for 128 seconds and generated more than 3.6 million pounds of thrust, provided an extra degree of confidence in the booster technology, which is expected to be used on NASA's Ares 1 and 5 launch vehicles. ATK Launch Systems Group
